The Kingdom of Hawthrone
Founding The Kingdom of Hawthrone was founded near the end of the Third Age by William of Altimir, a devout follower of Harmonism and founder of the Altimir Dynasty. He united the major cities of the Avaron Plains and their local municipalities through diplomacy primarily. However, he also preached unification to the small folk of the realm. He stated that unification of the Plains Cities would bring unbelievable prosperity to every citizen, regardless of class, race or religion. Many of the small folk revolted against cruel lords to govern themselves. Proceeding these uprisings, the new states joined William's kingdom. William was coronated as a guest in the city of Solva, the homeland of Harmony, to prove his faith to his new subjects, who were primarily Harmonistic. William named his new kingdom for the Haw-throne, the giant, melted bronze throne of an ancient king. It is believed that Harmony melted the throne when the ancient king abused his subjects. He took the Haw-throne from its location near the village of Aysha and refashioned it as his new seat of power. The Haw-throne was refurbished, but maintained a grotesquely melted appearance to remind the populace that they will always have more power than any king or noble when united. The seat was placed in the King's Keep in Altimir, and has been used as the seat of power by every king of the Altimir Dynasty. The year of founding was 2324. Culture The culture of the Hawthrone Kingdom is similar to the old Plain Cities. The Plain Cities of Avaron were established by Men and Elves as economic centers for farmers to sell their crops. They started as villages and hubs of trade, but gradually grew as commerce with other lands became more prevalent. The major cities still in existence are Beho, Panhoven, Rott, Saives, Horion, Altimir, Yuliev, Dolec, Yanino, Gusla, and Borsu. Each city was self-governing and controlled the towns, villages, and open land around it. Over time, a feudal political system developed, where merchants of the cities brought hundreds of acres of farmland to for plantations and reap massive profits for themselves and their families. The merchant land-owning class effectively created a system of nobility across the plains after several generations. The nobles dominated life both within and without their cities and used surfs to cultivate their land. Free middle-class farmers did exist around some villages, but they could not compete economically with the nobles, and mostly became subsistent farmers. The ruling class of the Plain Cities was slowly overthrown as Harmonism became the dominant religion and the lower classes demanded for fair and equal treatment. By the time of William of Altimir, the noble families had been disbanded or banished from the realm, and the economy of the region once again fell into the hands of the people. The formerly independent Plains Cities became urban centers for art and trade, and the outlying towns and villages were responsible for agricultural development. The population of the Plains Cities in present time are mostly Elven and Human. Dwarves and Orcs are rare to find, along with most other races. The ancient aboriginal elves of the prairies live as nomads or recluses. Known as the Yongori, they choose to have little to no contact with regular citizens. Geography Hawthrone is dominated by grasslands and prairies.Small sections of woodland exist, but are scattered and separated by many miles. The land is mostly flat except for a few hills in the center of the realm. Three great rivers run across the country, and along their shores citizens fish and grow crops. The river Erbeno originates in northern Avaron and flows along the northwest. It empties its water into the sea near Beho. The other three rivers come from the hills near Altimir. Suabe flows southwest and empties at the port of Sancho. Ruomho flows away from Altimir to the northwest and empties near the town of Cromarty, a fishing epicenter. The greatest of the rivers, Allfomir. flows east and empties at the Mouth of Morandir. Here, the ports of Saives, the wealthiest of the Plains Cities, rests. Economy The Kingdom of Hawthrone is an agrarian economy. Farmers bring their crops during harvests into the cities to sell, and then purchase material goods with their income. Metalworkers, artisans, merchants, tailors, weavers, couriers, taverners, bankers, peddlers, and a few magicians call the city home. Residents of the cities have a higher standard of living than the outlying farmers, but the farmers do not live in perpetual depression. When a harvest does not yield abundant crops, they will struggle, but city counselors and clergymen will provide support for the needy through public and religious services. Government Hawthrone is a hereditary monarchy, but the King listens to the advise of his counselors, elected officials from the cities. The old Plains Cities have a similar form of government with a Townmaster and his own counsel, but all of these are elected positions. Citizens 16 and older vote for their counselors and Townmasters in each city. To vote, one must be an Elf or Human. Women, and the native Yongori, do not have the right to vote. Religion The population of Hawthrone is homogeneous in that 98% are Harmonists. The other 2% follow the old gods of the Yongori. Although Harmonism is a peaceful religion, the practitioners in Hawthrone do not have a lot of tolerance for other faiths. They consider other faiths less ethentical or even savage. Travelers and foreigners are careful to keep their faiths to themselves to avoid possible discrimination. Climate Hawthrone endures hot summers and harsh winters. Thunderstorms bring powerful tornadoes and floods along the coasts and rivers, so citizens have adapted their architecture to suit their needs. River-towns and ports build many structures on stilts to prevent flood damage. Inland, buildings rarely exceed one or two stories and almost always have two or three floors below ground, which also serve as natural insulation. Wildlife Deer, raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks, and other forest creatures live in the woodlands, but most wildlife is adapted to the plains. Great herds of bison traverse the prairies, and water buffalo bathe along the rivers. Several species of antelope and burrowing animals live inland. Prairie hawks hunt the grassland rodents, and great condors feast on carrion. Grass-hogs wade in mud and eat insects, tubers, and roots. The most unique of all the prairie animals however, is the moomagi, a massive herbivore that travels in herds from woodland to woodland. They have a great coat of brown or black fur that grows thick in winter and sheds in summer. They are well adapted to the prairie but prefer the woodlands as they are fairly shy towards other creatures. Once prevalent, they are now fairly rare due to poaching for their ivory tusks. The Yongori believe the moomagi to be the Lord of all Creatures and was made a god in their pantheon. Elves and Men have little respect for them, and refer to the beasts as "shaggy-goat-cows". It is believed that the beasts are descended from a hybrid of buffalo and mastodon, but none are to sure of the creatures origins. The plains predators are few, but very vicious. Coyotes and foxes are prevalent, but do not cause much threat. It is the great grass-cats, hunting in packs of four to seven, that harass livestock and people alike. Even more dangerous are the great direwolves that migrate south from northern mountains during winter season. Agriculture The climate of Hawthrone is not conductive to exotic crops, but grain is grown in plenty. Hawthrone is a massive producer of wheat, barely, corn, oats, sunflowers, rye, and millet. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples, carrots, onions, tomatoes, peaches, potatoes, beets, and radishes are also produced in large amounts. Hawthrones beer is notorious for being brewed with fermented apples and other unique flavors, making Hawthrone one of the largest and most popular beer producers in all of Noliterre. Pigs, goats, sheep, cattle, chickens, and horses are all popular livestock in Hawthrone. Languages The Common Tongue, Avaronese (in the Plains dialects), and Yongorese. Laws Citizens are granted a right to free speech and assembly and the right to own property. However, sentient beings are not considered property. Slavery was outlawed many centuries ago as it undermines the success of the feudal systems in the Plains Cities, which was basically a form of slavery regardless. Nowadays, citizen's staunch support of Harmonism makes them huge supporters for equality among all citizens (but not necessarily all people or races). Technological Advancement Hawthrone represents a late medieval or early renaissance nation from our world. Some new technologies have been incorporated, but the people have held the same way of life for centuries, and significant changes come slowly. Gunpowder and muskets exist, but they are not used prevalently. Soldiers and police still use metal melee weapons and metal armor. Architecture, art, and fashion advance at a steady pace, but technology always seems to linger behind. Magic is adored throughout the realm also since it is an important aspect of Harmonism. However, new technologies are considered a threat to natural magic. Most citizens posses the mentality that "whatever isn't broken should not be fixed", and the welfare of the Kingdom of Hawthrone has been consistent for a little more than four centuries. Only a catastrophe from within or without would incentivize the citizens to turn to new technologies of production and new lifestyles.